Collection: Maldivian Banknotes

Before the rufiyaa existed, the Maldives paid with cowrie shells: the traveler Ibn Battuta documented in the 14th century that forty shiploads of shells were exported annually, at a rate of 400,000 shells for every gold dinar.

From the larin to Malé silver

Between the 17th and 18th centuries, the larin circulated, a silver coin in the shape of a curved wire. Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar minted the first pure silver rufiyaas in Malé between 1648 and 1687, and in 1787 silver gave way to gold.

The banknote that doesn't fear the sea

Since 2016, the 1,000 rufiyaa note has been printed on polymer, resistant to water and tearing; it features a sea turtle on one side and a whale shark on the other, in homage to the fauna that sustains the archipelago's tourism.

What you will find here

Maldivian rufiyaas with Pick reference and actual condition.

Shipping

Protected and tracked from Spain.

Discover more banknotes from the region in Asia Banknotes.

If you are interested in this area, combine with Sri Lanka and India.